EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF USING NATURAL MATERIALS ON ENHANCING THERMAL PERFORMANCE OF BUILDINGS

Abstract

(ANSI, 2013) Defined thermal comfort as “Thermal Comfort is the state of mind which expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment, and it is evaluated by subjective assessment”. Investigating this concept of thermal comfort for occupants of buildings is one of the most important HVAC goals (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) to all designers and engineers. (Huizenga c., 2006) Thermal Comfort has become one of the most important themes that take the care and focus in the construction sector, as achieving thermal comfort effects on occupants, engineers, energy specialists. Satisfaction with the indoor thermal environment has many impacts on occupants 'productivity in spaces, capacity and health. Studies proved that office workers who are satisfied with their thermal environment, they are more productive than others who are working in uncomfortable environment (Huizenga c., 2006). Thermal discomfort has also been known that it can lead to sick to the buildings and users. (Myhren J., 2008) Studies proposed by U.S. Energy Information Administration which have been concluded by the statistical analysis that the whole world face a main problem of an energy lack (energy produced by crude oil, natural gas, petroleum products and coal). This problem occurs because of the gap between world's energy consumption and production every year is getting wider (Hussien, 2015). Furthermore, the building sector is considered as a major consumer of the generated electrical power, estimated by 54%. In order to achieve indoor thermal comfort, the contribution of raising the annual energy consumption, is estimated by 7-8% (Al-Homoud M. , 2013). For the previous reasons mentioned, buildings are responsible for about half of the country’s CO2 emissions which consumed just in the operational stage (Lawrence, 2015). In regions with harsh climatic conditions, due to achieve thermal comfort in